Chapter 288

I groan as I walk across the yard, a hand underneath my belly to support it. I can’t believe they weigh this much already, these little girls. It’s only been three months since the boys’ birthday, but I feel like I’m already gigantic. They must be making me sleepwalk down to the kitchen at night, making me pig out on ice cream or something, considering how much weight I’ve gained in my belly alone.

I sigh, stopping a minute and looking back at the cottage, wondering if I should go back and get one of the Betas to drive me to the new house instead of walking. But then I glance through the woods towards the big house and realize that they’re both pretty much the same distance away. May as well keep going, even though every step makes my poor swollen ankles hurt.

“Three more months,” I murmur, sighing and setting out again. “Three more months, and then I get my body back…”

It’s not that I don’t like being pregnant – I don’t mind it, most of the time. I love the feeling of my girls growing inside of me, feeling them kick and move around. It’s a joy, all of it.

It would just be…a little bit more of a joy if I didn’t also have so much else on my plate.

I look up at the big house as I slowly walk towards it, pleased and a little shocked at the progress that’s been made on it in the past three months. It’s a marvel, honestly – a gigantic, sprawling building with teams of builders swarming all over it. I smile to see it coming together, grateful that Victor was able to mobilize his forces and his connections so quickly to get all of this done.

But Victor is overwhelmed as well – with his bid for Supreme coming up, and all of the pack leaders gathering for the vote? He spends so much of his day in meetings, or strategizing with his team. So, I’ve taken a lot of the house construction on my shoulders as well.

Not literally, of course – but every time something goes wrong, or someone needs something, they come to me, and I either do my best to fix it or ensure that Victor gets the word at the end of the day so he can solve the problem.

And, considering that I’m getting married in the day after tomorrow…

I sigh again, closing my eyes as I trudge through the little woods. It’s all just…very exhausting.

“Evelyn!” a voice calls, and I open my eyes again, smiling when I see the head contractor striding over to me – a fit, bossy young woman named Beth who I’ve really come to like in the past few weeks. She hurries to my side, taking my arm. “You walked over here? What’s wrong with you – don’t you have like, eighty cars?”

“Something like that,” I murmur, giving her a grateful smile for taking some of my weight. “But I’m supposed to get exercise – and it’s just a little distance –“

Beth rolls her eyes at me good naturedly as we walk together to the house.

“What’s going on with it today?” I ask, looking up at the scaffolding on the front. “Are we on track to make it look pretty for Saturday?”

“More or less,” Beth replies, a little rueful. “Though why you decided to get married in an active construction zone…” she shakes her head at me.

“Because it’s pretty!” I say, gesturing towards the gardens that I know are built out on the other side of the house, overlooking the incredible view. Beth rolls her eyes at me again, laughing at my wide grin.

It really is the right choice, though. It’s going to be a small wedding, just our family and friends and a few of the Alphas with whom Victor wants to make close ties. Nothing at all like the insane event that Amelia planned, or like my first wedding. For this one, I just want simplicity. Good friends, good food, at my own house. Comfortable shoes. What more could someone six months pregnant with twins want?

“We’re having a little bit of an issue with the roof,” Beth says as we approach the front of the house, gesturing upwards. “Only half of the materials that we ordered were delivered.”

“Oh geeze,” I say, glancing upwards even though I have no idea what to look for, or if I can even see where the problem is. “The roof is…kind of important. What can we do about it?”

Beth shakes her head and shrugs. “Someone’s got to get on the phone with the supplier. Our order was right – and we paid for it. Just the delivery was wrong. But one of the Betas signed for it without checking, and so it’s going to be hell trying to convince them to bring half the materials again when all of their paperwork says they were delivered.”

“I’ll do it,” I say, giving a little groan and putting a hand against my lower back for support as I reach my other hand out, palm up. Beth grins and slaps her phone into my palm, the number already dialed on the screen and ready to call. I press the call button and give her a grin, which she returns as she heads into the house, on to her next task.

After about thirty tortuous minutes on the phone, I convince the supplier to deliver the materials again. I sigh, turning the phone off and then turning to look for Beth so I can give it back to her and let her know the good news.

As I turn, though, I feel a wrench in my stomach – a wrench that was all-too familiar in my first trimester, but which I hadn’t felt as much in my second.

“Oh my god,” I murmur, my hand going immediately to my mouth. “Oh goodness, I’m gonna –“

But there’s no room for any more words – as fast as I can, I dash to the base of a nearby tree, wanting something to lean on as I hurl up my breakfast. I barely make I there before I do just that, my stomach continuing to twist until I come up empty.

“Evelyn!” I my name called out by a voice as familiar as my own. Then suddenly he’s by my side, his warm hand on my back. I look up at my mate, my eyes apologetic.

“Sorry,” I murmur, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.

“Sorry!” Victor exclaims, frowning at me, worried. “What on earth do you have to be sorry for? Are you okay?”

“I’m sorry because it’s gross,” I explain, standing up straight and taking a deep breath. “No one wants to see their bride barfing two days before their wedding. It doesn’t scream ‘god, I must tie myself to that woman, forever,’ does it?”

Victor laughs, putting an arm around my shoulders now that he sees I’m getting through it. “I’m not going to pretend it’s your most enticing moment, Evelyn,” he sighs, giving me a little squeeze. “But I think the fact that you’ve given me two beautiful children, and are about to give me two more, kind of wipes it out. Is that all this is?” he asks, curious. “Morning sickness?”

“I think so,” I say, nodding and looking up at him.

“Bad luck,” he says, giving me an empathetic little grimace. “I thought we were done with that.”

“Sometimes it comes back,” I say, sighing. “Why are you here?”

“Meeting,” he says, nodding towards the house. “Contractors.”

“Okay,” I say, straightening my shoulders and looking towards the entrance. “Let’s go in, then – we have stuff to do.”

Victor nods, beginning to walk, his arm still around me, but the moment I take my first step I know something is wrong. My head spins, a little, and my knees suddenly go out –

I groan, stumbling forward, but luckily Victor is instantly there.

“Evelyn!” he cries in shock, but I look up at him and attempt a smile, letting him know I’m conscious. He curses in worried frustration – not at me, I know, at whatever’s going on – and suddenly I’m in his arms. “Let’s get you home,” he murmurs, hurrying through the woods. I rest my head against his chest as he carries me, working on taking deep breaths, a hand on my stomach as I hope to the depths of me that everything is okay.

#Chapter 289 – Exhaustion

“Everything is fine,” the doctor says, and I exhale what feels like my first sigh of relief in several hours. Victor turns his back to us for a moment, taking a second to collect himself. I can feel his intense relief down our bond and smile at his back, grateful that he was there.

“I’m okay?” I ask, looking up at the doctor.

“You’re fine, Evelyn,” she replies, giving me a smile and sitting familiarly with me on the bed for a chat. “You were just dehydrated and, I suspect, a little exhausted. But the girls are doing great in there, and there’s no reason to expect that any harm was done. I imagine that your morning sickness will indeed be returning, after what you reported this morning.”

I grimace at the doctor, hating the idea of barfing for the next three months, making her laugh a little bit. She reaches out and takes my hand, giving it a little squeeze. Victor moves back to my side now, looking down at the doctor, wanting to hear the rest of her verdict.

“But Evelyn,” the doctor says, gentle. “I suspect that you’re overextending yourself. Today was what we might understand as kind of a warning call – your body gave out not because you’d fully extended it, but because it was telling you that you were getting close. You can’t push yourself like that, not when you’re six months pregnant with twins.”

I sigh, nodding, knowing that she’s right and looking between the doctor and my mate. “It’s just that we’ve got so much going on,” I murmur. “I don’t know…how to not. Like, I know that I’m supposed to be relaxing and enjoying my pregnancy in a very mellow, earth-mother sort of way,” I continue, hesitating. “But how can I do that when we’ve got a wedding in two days, and we’re building a house, and trying to become leaders in the community…”

“Evelyn,” the doctor says, compassionate. “All of those things are important, I know that. But the thing that gets sacrificed – the thing that falls off the plate and gets neglected so the others thrive – it cannot be your health. Or the health of your daughters. Consider that – that by putting all those other things first, the thing that’s suffering is your pregnancy.”

I blink, a little horrified as I process the doctor’s words. I hadn’t thought of it that way – but now that I do, I feel just terrible.

“It’s my fault,” Victor says, sighing and covering his face with his hand. “I shouldn’t have let you – should never have put any of this on your shoulders –“

I open my mouth to protest but the doctor beats me to it. “Victor,” she says, her voice a little derisive. “I’ve met your fiancé. I know her. She does what she wants. I have a feeling that if you tried to talk her out of it, that she’d just laugh at you.”

Victor drags his hand down his face and looks at the doctor, amusement at her understatement plain on his face. I laugh, pleased that my doctor and my mate know me so well. Victor turns to shake his head at me next.

“Okay, okay!” I say, putting my hands up. “I hear you, both of you! I’ll – I’ll find a way to stop. All right?”

Victor puts a hand on my shoulder, supporting me, and the doctor gives my hand another squeeze. I smile at both of them, grateful for my team.

“But you think the wedding can go forward?” I ask the doctor, running a hand over my belly and raising my eyebrows. I try not to let it show on my face, but honestly – if we have to cancel this wedding, it will break my heart.

“I think you need to take it easy until wedding day,” my doctor replies after a moment of consideration. “But yes, I think that you can move forward with your plans.”

“Thank you,” I say, truly sincere. She nods and stands up, looking between us to see if we have any more questions. When she sees that she doesn’t, she nods to us both and lets herself out of the bedroom.

“Evelyn,” Victor starts in the moment she closes the door behind her. “You’ve got to rest –“

“I know, Victor,” I say, raising my hand to clasp his, which is still on my shoulder. “I hear that – and I’m going to – but we need to come up with a plan. There’s still so much to do – so much I was going to do in the next two days. If I don’t do it, someone else has to.”

Victor nods, setting his jaw and looking out into the distance a little – his thinking pose. I would recognize it anywhere. I smile and watch him process for a moment, admiring his handsome face in repose.

“I’ll handle it, Evelyn,” he says, nodding and heading for the door after giving my shoulder another squeeze. “Leave it all to me.”

“But you don’t know what to do! –“ I call after him, anxious.

“I’ll handle it,” he says, looking back at me, a hand on the knob. “All right?”

“All right,” I say, hesitating and leaning back against the bed’s pillows as he opens the door and steps out. “But Victor?”

He turns back to me, all attention and care.

“Can you bring me a snack?” I ask, hopeful. “I might barf it up in ten minutes. But I really want some carrot cake.”

Victor laughs, shaking his head. “Sure, Evie,” he says, giving me a warm smile and then heading down the hall. “Whatever you want. I am your servant.”

Ten minutes later, I hear the pounding of feet on the stairs as my boys come flying up them, their arms full of stuff.

“Mama!” Alvin calls, in the lead. “Daddy sent us up to bring you snacks!”

“And to heal you!” Ian adds as they burst into the room. Laughing, I sit up and curiously lean towards them.

“Really?” I ask. “What did you bring me?”

“The good stuff,” Alvin says, opening his arms and spilling a bunch of packaged snacks out onto the bed, as well as a pastry box which I suspect contains a much-mangled piece of carrot cake. Grinning, I reach for it, and Alvin pulls a fork out of his back pocket to help me along. I wink at him as I snatch it out of his hand.

“And medical supplies!” Ian continues, adding a bunch of cold compresses and bandaids and what looks like the entire supply of vitamins and pain killers from our medicine cabinet in the kitchen.

“Oh, useful!” I say, not meaning it, but wanting to be encouraging.

“Are you sick, mama?” Alvin asks, leaning forward solicitously and placing a hand against my forehead. I hold back my laughter, knowing that he has no idea what he’s trying to feel for when he places his hand on my face but letting him do it anyway.

“Just a little, baby,” I say. “I got morning sickness from the pregnancy, and then I was dehydrated, so the doctor says I have to take it easy for the rest of the day and relax.”

“Okay!” Ian says, hopping into bed with me and crawling swiftly under the covers. “Then we’ll do that with you! To keep you company!”

“What an enticing offer!” I say as Alvin glances anxiously towards the door. “But don’t you two have school?”

“Yeah,” Alvin says, looking towards their room where I know the wonderful Miss Georgia is waiting for them to come back form their lunch break. “We do have school…”

“Not me,” Ian says, snuggling into the pillows. “My priority is mama’s health. I have to stay here. To protect her.”

“Nope,” Victor calls, coming up the stairs and hearing Ian’s declaration on the way. “Off to school, both of you!”

Alvin gives me a swift kiss and then hurries off, eager to obey, but Ian snuggles deliberately down into the pillows, giving Victor a little glare.

“Don’t forget, little Alpha,” Victor says to Ian as he strides into the room and over to the bed, “you my be stubborn, but I’m still bigger than you.” And with that, Victor playfully whips the blankets back and snatches the little boy out of the bed, tossing him over his shoulder and carrying him off to the boys’ bedroom, Ian screeching with laughter the whole way.

I laugh as well, watching them go, but Victor calls to me over his shoulder.

“I’ll be back in a second, Evelyn!” he says. “I think I have a solution to our problem.”